Boarding FYI Newsletter

Transcription

1 Boarding FYI Newsletter October - November 2012 Choosing Hope

2 Director s Corner... Greetings to all parents/caregivers of boarders 2012 As we near the end of our school year, lots of memories about boarding life spring to mind. With your child s presence and positive contribution to our community, we have seen boarders lives changed as a result of stepping up to the mark and realising their potential in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. There s an old saying if you love your job, you ll never work a day in your life. It sounds cliche, because hard work requires effort, and as a Boarding Director life can get pretty hectic and lonely. Yet, these are the defining moments. I had to remind myself... Maria what is your purpose, life, LAC, boarders lives? It s the journey, not the destination that matters. We all need a reason to live, not just to survive - This is where Jesus Christ matters - He gives new life, purpose, plus the power to fulfill that purpose. Your child has so much to offer in life and if I have been a hindrance to their potential, I apologise for my inadequacy and pray that the Holy Spirit led your child to someone else who did. In Counsels on Educationa page 202, we are reminded; when properly conducted, church schools wll be the means of lifting the standard of truth in the places where they are establlished; for children who are receiving a Christian education will be witnesses for Christ. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to our volunteer assistants in boarding: Miss Lejone Morris, Mr Eifion Paul and Mr Lowell Tischler who will be leaving us this year. Your friendship and contribution this year has been outstanding. We wish you God s blessing as you return to Southern California, Wales and Brisbane this month. Thanks also to Kiri Sharp, Courtney Young, Kerrylee Grayson, Roy Henry Mr G (Kevin Gredig), Kelvin Rutherford, Sue Cross as staff supporters in boarding. Have a great holiday break and new year. Through love serve one another (Galatians 5:13) Maria Henry, Director of Boarding Message from the Principal... Importance of Year 12 There is a perception among some students planning tertiary study that Year 12 is not an important year at school, that Year 13 and UE is what really counts. Nothing could be further from the truth! How well a student performs in Year 12 has a huge bearing on the financial assistance students will receive when they go on to University or UCOL. Applications for scholarships are almost entirely based on a student s Year 12 achievements and students who achieve Year 12 with Excellence have massive advantages obtaining scholarships compared to those who pass with Achieved. Over the last two years LAC students have obtained over $25,000 in scholarships for tertiary study based almost entirely on their Year 12 NCEA results. Do the wise thing, work hard to do well at Year 12. It certainly pays big financial dividends down the track! From the Chaplain... ASPIRE Bruce Sharp, Principal LAC recently had three academics from Avondale College Australia, visit LAC to evaluate the program. The review is both enlightening and encouraging. There are many good things that are happening and there are areas where we can definitely improve on; things like greater input from both staff and students, greater variety of delivery, making it more relevant, having students and staff be more aware of the purpose and structure of the program, and allowing students not only the chance to have planning input but also time for reflective discussions. The team will be back at LAC at the start of the 2013 school year to assist us in the direction we are taking. Thank you for your prayer and support of this venture. Kevin Gredig, Chaplain

3 Baptism of Hazelle & Te-Ari Food Bank Help with Mosaic Church

4 Saniku North Island Trip... The boys slept at the shearer s shed Rotorua Gisborne farm stay, thanks to the Devine family

5 Auckland Seventh-day Adventist High School kindly hosted the Saniku group Ice Skating, Sky Tower, Papatoe SDA Church & Auckland Museum Horse trekking near Taupo Back home safely to Longburn College

6 Graduation Weekend

7 End of Year Dinner...

8 Year Prizegiving... Auckland Soccer Tournament... Back row: Yu, Takato, Sho, Ikani, Ralph, Mr Paul. Front row: Kazuki, Joshua, Luke & Kai

9 Touch Rugby... Saniku Prize Giving...

10 *Before you go... It s the time of year we have all been waiting for...the end! Yay and hooray! For some of you (e.g. Year 13s), it s the end of one significant chapter of your life and the beginning of another. As you and I prepare to make our last trip down Walkers Road, thought I d leave you with priceless parting gifts i.e. words of appreciation and wisdom. To the lovely ladies and boisterous boys in the dorms: Thanks for being a dream come true (even when you were acting like something out of a nightmare). Close friends and family have often heard me say over the years I wanna be a Mom! I was only thinking about the six kids I want. Never did I even think I d play a parent to 80+ teenagers. Life lesson #1: may you get what you want and want what you get. Sure am going to miss (most) of you terribly. I ll be wondering who is going to wake you up to get to school, chauffeur you around town, whether you re drinking enough water, and hoping you re not wasting most of your money buying clothes, energy drinks or any other junk that s not good for you. We deans have been telling you all year how amazing, talented, and hilarious you all are. One of these days, you ll actually believe it. Know that you get it when you get but God s always got you. Though we re parting ways for a while and that is sad, my heart is so happy seeing how so many of you have matured and come into your own as young women and men. Some of you have even decided to publicly make a stand for Christ by dying to sin and self in the waters of baptism. May you all choose every second of the day to live for Him. I definitely wasn t where I am spiritually while in high school. Sure I loved the Lord, but I liked being loved by my boyfriend and friends much more. Thank God He wasn t finished with me yet. Neither is He with you. Here are some other life lessons I ve learned that I d like to share: Wearing any color or pattern is 90% about confidence. Beauty is meaningless if it is not coupled with good character. A strength is essentially a weakness when there is no discernment. Mediocrity and complacency should never be a part of your personal vocabulary. Do ALL things with excellence. Go hard after God. Blessings and favor are sure to follow. GOD first bro! (Thanks for that Dallas) To Roy & Maria: It baffles me to consider that this time last year, I had no idea who two were. Now I m having trouble even imagining doing life without you. To go from seeing you two every day to not at all? Cannot compute or cope. But I know that you two have a clear calling on your life to disciple generations of young people (so trying to convince you to come back with me to Cali is futile). GREAT is your faithfulness. So much to thank you terrific two for. But I ll just say a huge THANK YOU for all you do and who you are. I admire and love you both so much. Meitaki ma ata fa afetai lava. To our diverse dean team: We made it! We survived! With our sanity intact (for the most part) and only a few more gray hairs (well, not for me). It s been real (insert adjective here). If you ever wanna have some fun in the sun and cruise over to Cali, call/skype me ( cuz you know you won t find me on Facebook!). Julene & the Kapao clan, Tamar, Courtney, and all the lovely LAC family: know that I I hold your heart in my heart. Will miss you all terribly. Thank you for your friendship, kindness, hospitality, and for keeping me sane. Hopefully we ll see each other again on this side of heaven. To answer the often-asked question What will you be doing next year?, I still say Only God knows! This time last year, my (very detailed) plans for my life definitely did not involve leaving sunny Southern California to be the next door neighbor of cows, sheep and Shetland ponies. So let this be a lesson to you boys and girls when you re just about to say YES! to going all the way with Jesus. Just kidding. Perhaps God will finally allow me to take a siesta in Spain, ride a giant turtle in the Galapagos Islands, or steal away to Castaway Beach in Niue. I m strongly considering becoming a student again (hopefully for the last time) and starting my doctoral program in educational leadership. Whatever I do and wherever I end up, I go with God as do you. Lots of love, best wishes, and blessings in abundance. ~Lejone~ *The full text of Miss Morris Hari Year Book leaving comments.